Antonio Banderas reopens the Albéniz Theater in Madrid with the musical ‘Company’, welcoming the moment of hope experienced by the genre
It still smells of varnish, paint and wood at Madrid’s Umusic Hotel Teatro Albéniz, a historic venue that has been restored to the stage after 17 years gated down. The renovated stage will host the musical “Company”, which will premiere in Madrid on November 17, the “Spanish Broadway”, according to the expression Antonio Banderas, director and protagonist of the show. The actor is preparing for a demanding audience accustomed to seeing works of excellent quality. The challenge is not new to him: the work arrives in Madrid after 11 performances had already been made in Malaga. True to his promise, the actor presents himself without tricks, traps or recorded music.
He knows the stakes are expensive, but musical theater either has instrumentalists performing live or it doesn’t deserve the name. Despite the fact that the genre is experiencing an “exciting and hopeful moment” thanks to a good crop of montages, the challenge carries some danger. And it is there that the risk lurks that quality will become cheaper. He is willing to bear the heavy cost of programming a work with these characteristics, although applause is always something uncertain and elusive. “Success is a very rare beast and you don’t know where it comes from,” he says.
Finding the headwind is as illegible as it is erratic undertaking. “Sometimes it happened to me that I made works that I thought would crucify me and then I got a series of awards and recognitions, and vice versa,” argues Banderas, making a passionate defense of the theater: “If it didn’t exist it should be invented”.
Banderas had suggested not to play in musicals outside Malaga, but, as he puts it, “there are strategies to break them.” He canceled his engagement because the opportunity deserved it. A theater with deep roots in the city doesn’t always reopen, an effort made possible thanks to the struggles of artists such as the late Pilar Bardem. «A theater doesn’t open every day; It’s a ray of hope, especially considering theaters sadly close every day to be converted into nightclubs or shopping malls. Here in Madrid I experienced a historical era, the Movida, and this place has brought many memories to people like Pedro Almódovar,” says the actor, who assures that the filmmaker, who is now in New York, will go see the musical . .
‘Company’ is a conceptual work, in the sense that it disrupts linear time. It has music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, author of such classics as ‘Into the Woods’, ‘Follies’ or ‘Sweeney Todd’, as well as a libretto by George Furth. This production of Teatro del Soho CaixaBank tells the adventures of Bobby, who visits his friends on a journey back to the 1970s, when he faces his contradictions, his fears, his loves and heartbreak. The director and producer is pleased with the good moment the musical enjoys, which is shown in the interest and favor of the audience, and in a beautiful pool of performers. “When I was doing tests to choose the cast of ‘A chorus line’, which required 17 members, 1,800 dancers showed up. 25 years ago that was unthinkable.
The work will remain on the poster until February 14. Banderas is not lacking in strength or discipline, says the actor, who has recovered from the heart attack he suffered five years ago. The cast, made up of 14 actors, includes María Adamuz, Albert Bolea, Lorena Calero, Javier Enguix, Laura Enrech, Lydia Fairén, Robert González, Dulcinea Juárez, Silvia Luchetti, Julia Möller, Paco Morales, Marta Ribera, Carlos Seguí, Rai Borrell, Bealia Guerra, Beatriz Mur, Alvaro Puertas and Lourdes Zamalloa. All are supported by an orchestra of 26 musicians.
The Malaga man has always been interested in the genre, although he acknowledges that he has been sacrificed and that you have to take care of yourself to face the season. “The only way is quality, as we try to circumvent to take advantage of the situation… we go bad”. According to the actor, the musical is not a second-rate show. Through songs and dance you can reach the same depth as in a Shakespeare text.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
